“No Longer a Political Experiment: Start All Over Again”

Uri Party floor leader Kim Han-gil said on November 7, “Creating the Uri Party was a political experiment that will be strongly remembered in Korea’s political history,” adding, “However we need a ‘morning to start all over again,’ figuring out what to maintain and what to dump, and putting an end to the experiment.”

On the same day, he said during the representative speech at the Floor Negotiation Group in the National Assembly, “We mulled over whether to send a message of transformations to the public after stark self-reflections and confessions, or to renew our will to work harder, reaffirming the foundation spirit of the Uri Party and the values we have pursued.” This means that he made an official remark on setting down the party title and either transform itself anew or promote political realignment.

However, Mr. Kim said, “The top priority is the fate of Korea. As for the paths of the Uri Party, we will reach its conclusion after a regular session of the National Assembly.” He argued for revising the Constitution so that the tenures of both the president (five years) and lawmakers (four years) are equal, saying, “Minimum levels of constitutional revisions are needed to stabilize politics and reduce political costs.” He added, “If necessary, presidential re-election system every four years and the election of the vice president could be reviewed.”

Kim demanded that President Roh concentrate on managing security and economic crisis, saying, “Most of the public will be relieved to see President Roh focusing on security and the economy and coming to definite decisions.” He called upon the government to actively review the issue of dispatching high-level special envoys to North Korea in order to resolve the North’s nuclear issues.

Regarding the stabilization measures for the real estate market, he demanded of the government, “The government should be clear about its measures on providing apartments at an 80 percent discount to the market value,” and also requested for proactive financial politics to boost the economy.

yongari@donga.com